Drawers for a 2520XL

The first pic shows a seat that comes standard in the 2520XL with trap doors to gain access to the space below the seat. I decided that I could make better use of the space if I had drawers:
This next picture shows the opening of the top section with the trap door removed:

This picture shows drawers that have been installed in the step section and in the section immediately below the seat.
I then took the trap door from below the step and installed it on the right side rear in order to provide access to some space that was remaining empty after the drawers are installed[attachment=4]Drawer I
Another picture of the right side flap door.[attachment=1]Drawer VI (Small)

Nice job!

Nice are those from Finaddict???? nice !!!!

Reely: They drawers are from FinnAddict. They are heavy and well built. Brown from FinAddict said that most people mount the drawers by wood screwing into the seat. However, I felt the seat material was too thin and we wanted to through bolt just as was the trap door. This caused us some additional work trying to get the nuts onto the bolts. The top drawer assembly had to have a hole cut into the box in order to get your hands into position to mount the nuts onto the bolts. The plastic is the exact same color as the original since FinAddict also manufactures the trap doors for Parker. FinAddict drilled the mounting holes for the drawer faceplate since they did the originals. I am glad to have done the job and will do the seat on the opposite starboard side.

I think I just found my winter project! Very nice job and great idea. As much as I love my 2520, functional storage space is a challenge...

I knew they were !!!lol I can make the exact stuff cheap too....but they do have nice stuff

great job !! I was just thinking of doing something like that to mine also. If you don't mine how much does a set of drawers like that run? Do you have the info on where I can get some?

Snowdevil here is the info you requested:

Custom 2 drawer tackle box fish white............$275.00
Single drawer unit.........................................$160.00
Shipping and Packaging...................................$43.48

Company info:
Fin-Addict Marine
577 Old Roberts Road
Benson, NC 27504
Phone: 919-989-6813
Fax: 919-989-6153
Contact:Brown Towles

Thanks for the info, project looks great.. I plan on ordering a set for myself for x-mass.
Going to give them a call this week.

Many thanks for the information on this. I just completed installation of the drawers and Plano holder in my 2520. I used one of the larger doors behind the helm seat, for access behind the new drawers. It all looks great and now to load up. I wonder if I have enough tackle to fill up the storage?

Vareel":3tm10dwp said:

Many thanks for the information on this. I just completed installation of the drawers and Plano holder in my 2520. I used one of the larger doors behind the helm seat, for access behind the new drawers. It all looks great and now to load up. I wonder if I have enough tackle to fill up the storage?

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If you don't now, I'm betting you soon will!

I just finished up installing my new drawer set up and it looks great. Thanks for the info , nice project .
Working on the stereo and fishfinder,and name on transom .

Anyone else install these drawers with just screws? Its awfully heavy and I think thru bolting is the way to go but its basically impossible without cutting something.

ParkerMan25":1lf6150j said:

Anyone else install these drawers with just screws? Its awfully heavy and I think thru bolting is the way to go but its basically impossible without cutting something.

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Would love to hear the answer to that question as I plan on installing mine this weekend. These are very heavy & well built & I'm thinking screws are not enough. Thanks !

Hi, I am in the same place, bought the drawers from finnaddict last fall and was planning to install this weekend, any suggestions or install tips?

Well they look great and I'm sold so I'm ordering a pair thanks for all the info. For those of you that have installed them, do you think that using an adhesive like 5200 to secure strips of 1" thick wood on the inside of the opening, basically creating a wooden frame on the inside, then using long wood screws would work???

I installed my drawers from finaddict this weekend. I ended up gluing ( I used some silicon adhesive I had) some oak strips on the inside of the opening and then drilling pilot holes, then using 1.25" stainless screws. They seem very secure and look great.

Can't get ahold of Finaddict, 2 emails, no response. ???

My drawer set arrived today. Any further mounting suggestions from those who have them? I was thinking about stainless steel clip nuts. They would leave the slightest of gaps between the seat base and drawer frame that I could run a thin bead of silicon around.





Thanks

A day of complete frustration.

Went to install the upper cabinet and it wouldn’t fit the seat base opening. When I removed the OEM door and frame the frame will move ¼” or more in all directions in the opening to allow for alignment, when I tried to install the upper drawer set, the step in the back of the faceplate prevented the unit from seating. More than an hour with a rasp enlarging the opening and could finally get it to barely seat flush.

I had purchased #10 clip nuts to use with the original face plate bolts (actually replacement stainless bolts alittle longer), but the fiberglass in the base was too thick to use them, don’t know if I can find clip nuts to accomidate the ‘glass thickness. Even after enlarging the opening, I would probably have to further relieve all areas where the clip nuts go as the drawer housing is so tight.

So.

Purchased 1x2 oak strips (actually .75" x 1.5") and #10 stainless screws and thought I would build a frame, glue it inside the base, and screw the drawer cabinet through the OEM base into the wood. No go. The base is not wide enough to get the 1.5” oak strips all the way around the inside. Thought about gluing the oak on its ¾” edge inside, but am fearful that the screws will split the wood.

Thought about drilling (10) 1.5” holes inside the cabinet and somehow trying to hold the nylon nuts on blindly with a finger to start them, then somehow work a socket wrench in to hold while tighten them, I don’t have confidence that would work especially with the step behind the faceplate, and then I would have a new cabinet with a bunch of holes drilled in it.

As heavy (and well built) as this drawer cabinet is, no way I’m just going to try to attach it with screws to the seat base with no backing, I can picture cracks all around the base after a day running in rough seas. Thought about adding 5200 behind the face, but if cracks develop in the seat base or a slide fails in the cabinet I would be hosed.

I haven’t even tried the lower cabinet.

So, I’m quite frustrated, disappointed, at a loss.

A little more rant, IMHO, the OEM seat bases are all but worthless for storage. For as much volume as they contain and potential for storage, they simply don't work. It's all one large open area inside, put anything in the top and it fall to the bottom, then get on your knees and try to reach anything through the bottom hatch, all while trying to hold up the door and keep from snagging your arm on the large catch. I would have gladly paid a lot of $ to have a seat with a large, multi-drawer properly designed base with the seat on top. /End rant. sorry.